Love and War
by my shangri-la
Summary: Letty calls Dom her ex. He responds about as well as he would to any other kick in the pants - he takes it as a challenge. Fast 6 spoilers. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

_**Love and War**_

**Summary: Letty calls Dom her ex. He responds about as well as he would to any other kick in the pants. Fast 6 spoilers. One-shot.**

**Rated: M – for language**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything, just my imagination.**

Dominic cursed loudly. He had just saved her reckless ass, and she thought she could take off without so much as a 'by your leave'? _In her freaking dreams_. He hit the gas and sped after her down the empty highway.

He had gotten a very rude awakening when he had been informed that Letty was not only alive, but had her own crew and was apparently less than happy to see him. Dom thought it was time his girl got a rude awakening of her own.

He finally caught up to her, glancing at his speedometer incredulously, finding himself going ninety-eight miles per hour to maintain pace with her. Dom pulled up alongside her car, rolling down the passenger side window to shout at her. "Pull the fuck over!"

She flicked him off.

He growled and hit the button for a shot of NOS that had him flying ahead of her and finally skidding to a stop, his car blocking off the highway. He got out of the car as he heard her tires squeal, and as a second thought, remembered to pocket his car keys.

_The last time she had been anywhere near this angry with him, they had both been in his car. He ended up pulling over on some back road to finish their fight. A thoughtless comment from him had her hopping behind the wheel and driving off with his car, leaving him on the side of the road to walk five miles home._

_He'd rather not do that again. Especially since he wasn't entirely sure where the hell they were._

The first thing Dom saw when he saw her step out of her car were the black leather boots that wrapped around her calves – a far cry from the chunky flaming boots she used to wear all those years ago.

The second thing he saw was the gun at her hip.

He raised an eyebrow. "That thing loaded?"

"It's not empty", Letty shrugged. "So?" she demanded. "What do you want? Or are you planning to just stand here looking stupid? Because if that's the case, I'll just take off-"

"_Letty!_" he hissed.

"_What_, Dom?" she spat. "What could you possibly want from me now?!"

"An explanation would be nice", he glared at her.

"I'm pretty sure I don't owe you anything", she said flatly.

"You let us all think you were dead, and you've been robbing _military trucks_. You think you don't owe me an explanation?" he repeated incredulously.

"Oh, don't act all self-righteous", she rolled her eyes.

"After all the grief you gave _me_ over some stupid DVD players? This is beyond dangerous, Letty! What the hell are you thinking? And where's your 'team'?" he asked derisively. "What happened to working with people who you know have your back?"

"You don't really have the right to ask questions", she said coldly.

"If I have to shake some sense into you-"

Letty's cell phone rang then and she tugged it from her jacket pocket and swiped her thumb across the screen. "What?" she snarled irritably into the speaker.

Dominic could hear the male voice on the other line, but couldn't make out any words. It did nothing to improve his mood. Instead he focused on Letty; trying to figure out what the hell had happened to the woman he loved.

"No… I've got it. I'll meet you in an hour… I have to ditch my ex", she muttered, mouth twitching slightly as she saw Dom's nostrils flare. She hung up and looked over at him evenly as she put her phone away. "What's your problem? And keep in mind I only have time for the cliffs notes version."

"What the hell did you just call me?"

"I think I called you an idiot five minutes ago."

"Don't play stupid. Where the hell do you get off calling me your ex _anything_?" he growled.

She eyed him skeptically, gesturing between them. "I'm pretty sure the last two years have not been us _together_, Dominic", Letty said wryly. "I think I would have remembered that."

"We did not break up!" he roared angrily.

Her glare only darkened at the fact that _he_ was the one who was frustrated right now. "Really?" Letty questioned dangerously. "Because when I woke up that morning and realized you had taken off, I felt pretty goddamn _broken_!"

His temper cooled almost immediately, and he took a cautious step in her direction. "Letty-"

"Don't", she barked abruptly, holding up her hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Do _not _'Letty' me. That tone isn't going to get you out of trouble with me this time."

"Do you always have to be such a hardass?" he sighed.

"I don't know", she shrugged, smirking humorlessly. "Do you always have to act like such a control-freak jackass?"

"Fine", he growled. "I left you to keep your stupid ass safe, and I'm a jackass. You faked your own death out of spite and then jumped down a damn _rabbit_ _hole_, Letty. What the hell does that make you?"

"Better at payback than you", she offered lazily.

"Are you finished?" Dom snapped.

She nodded once, "Yeah. I'm done. Go home, Dominic - wherever the hell you're calling home these days." She turned and began walking away, with no intention of looking back, but his voice stopped her.

"Nowhere is home without you, Letty", he said quietly.

She stopped, but didn't turn. "You made that decision a long time ago", she responded flatly. "You're going to have to live with that, Dom. It's not my problem anymore."

Letty kept walking, glad he couldn't see the smile tugging on her lips as he muttered, "Over my fucking dead body."

_Game on_, she thought. _All's fair in love and war._

00

**A/N: Yeah, I really couldn't help myself – especially after the movie clip. So, let me know what you think. So, I really do believe this is an actual one-shot. Complete for now, but I'm open to adding one or two more chapters maybe if I get an idea.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Love and War**_

**Summary: Letty calls Dom her ex. He responds about as well as he would to any other kick in the pants. Fast 6 spoilers. One-shot.**

**Rated: M – for language**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything, just my imagination.**

"Wake up, Dom", Letty demanded, flipping the bedroom light on abruptly as she leaned in the doorjamb.

"_What the fuck_- Letty", he muttered, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I know", she drawled. "We've got to stop meeting like this."

"So, you've added B&E to your list of broken laws?" he wondered, sitting up with a wince.

"Just get out of bed", she ordered. "And go get Mia and Brian. We need to talk", she called over her shoulder as she walked back towards the main area.

Dominic got out of bed with slow deliberation. His muscles were pure tension, had been since Hobbs had shown him that damn picture. Whatever her reason for it, Letty's betrayal stung so deeply, he didn't know if they would be able to recover even if they did manage to wrap this disaster up in a tidy bow. The only thing her was sure of right now was that he was getting really damn sick of watching her walk away from him.

He crossed the hall and knocked on the other bedroom door and cracked it open after receiving a muffled answer. "You guys need to get up. Letty's here", he said tensely.

"We're coming", Mia answered immediately, any tiredness leaving her at the prospect of a face to face with Letty for the first time in over a year. _She wanted answers. She hated this feeling that she had that told her everything she thought she had known about Letty had been __**wrong**__. It needed to go away._

Mia noticed that Brian had deliberately stepped in front of her as he walked out the door. It didn't settle well with her that he thought she might need protected from Letty, but she kept her mouth shut. She couldn't deny the Letty _had_, in fact, shot Dom.

They went into the open work area warily only to find the duo apparently at a stand-off, glaring at each other.

Brian rolled his eyes. "As much as I _hate_ to interrupt this touching reunion-" he started sarcastically. "Letty… what are you doing here?"

Her eyes snapped in his direction. "Still trying to play the hero, O'Conner?" she asked wryly.

"I guess that depends on your definition of hero", he shrugged.

"Got all your shades of grey ironed out then?"

Brian raised a challenging eyebrow. "_I _do. I don't think I'm the one in this room with my priorities out of wack."

"_Brian_", Mia muttered tensely behind him.

"I don't want to hear anybody tell me to go take a walk", he warned irritatedly, arms folding across his chest. "I don't think anybody here is the epitome of self-control – except maybe Mia", he said mildly.

"Somebody has to be the voice of reason around here", she rolled her eyes, stepping into sight completely. "Not that you guys listen. _Letty_", Mia hissed incredulously. _She was still having a hard time with the fact that her friend was alive. It was like she was staring at a ghost._

"Hi, Mia", Letty said calmly.

"_Hi?!_" Mia repeated incredulously. "Try again", she said sharply. "Or else you'd better have a really damn good explanation for all of this-"

"Would you believe me if I said this wasn't the way I wanted things to end up?" Letty interrupted emotionlessly.

Mia stared back at her, shock reigning over her features. She warred internally with herself. The part of her that remembered Letty as her best friend wanted to hug her and not let Letty out of her sight for the indeterminable future. But the part of her that had been Letty's sister… kind of wanted to slap her for being so callous.

Still, she eyed Letty warily, almost feeling like she needed to touch her to make sure Letty was really standing in front of her. The Latina had never really been a fan of personal contact, and she looked even rougher around the edges than even Mia had imagined possible. Letty's personality had always been prickly, but Mia can't remember ever seeing her so cold before.

"Will you please explain to me exactly what the hell happened, Letty?" Mia asked roughly, emotional nearly choking her, "Because I can't even begin to make sense of this."

Brian slid an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"I think now would be a good time for you to explain yourself", Dominic said tightly.

"What the hell are you so pissed about?" Letty rolled her eyes patronizingly.

"Oh, you mean _besides_ the fact that you fucking _shot me_ two days ago, and then your rude wakeup call just now?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes, besides that", she said flippantly.

"_Letty_", he growled warningly.

"Alright", Letty shrugged. "The last time I came to see you in the DR- I knew things had to change", she shook her head. "Every time I left, it felt like my freaking heart was being ripped out of my chest. We stopped being a team, and it went back to you making decisions that affected me without asking for my opinion. I couldn't do it anymore."

Brian listened to Letty's explanation worriedly. He didn't like stilted and distant tone she had taken on to recount what had happened. As a cop, he had heard that tone from people who had seen or experienced horrifying things that they weren't able to process at the moment. He knew she was downplaying the severity of the pain she had been through because she didn't want to feel it – _couldn't feel it._ Not if she had to continue with the jobs she had been doing.

"Why the hell didn't you _tell _me that?" Dom hissed angrily.

"I tried", she said flatly, staring blankly at the wall. "I woke up and you were gone."

"I mean _why didn't you bring it up when we didn't have the police on our asses?_"

"Look, things didn't exactly go like I planned, okay?" she muttered vaguely.

"Shit, Letty, what part of you being a martyr did you really think was going to fix our mess?" he sighed.

"Ride or die, Dom", Letty murmured. "That's all I know. And you didn't leave me a whole lot of options."

"That's _bullshit_!" he shouted, advancing on her. "Because what I know, is that Mia had to pack up all your things and plan your funeral. _I know_ that there's a goddamn headstone sitting in a graveyard in L.A. with your name on it! You have no idea what you've done, _to all of us_. And you'd better hear me when I say that whatever is going on, we're ending it. Nothing is worth this, Letty."

Dom gave her one last irritated look and turned, heading through the house, ignoring the rage that was shown on her face. He would leave her to her anger. He couldn't look at her any more tonight.

"_My mug shot is better than yours!_" she shouted after him.

Her only response was the slam of the back door.

Mia glared. "Really, Letty?" she sighed, glancing between Letty and the direction Dom had gone, looking torn.

Brian settled a hand on her shoulder, "Go on, Mia."

She nodded once before staring at the woman who had been sort of like an older sister to her growing up. "You, _stay here_", she ordered tensely, leaving without waiting for a response.

"So, how are things?" Letty asked conversationally after Mia was out of the house.

He folded his arms across his chest. "What are you playing at here?"

"This is not a game to me", she said seriously.

"No, it's not! People are getting killed, Letty. Can you honestly say you don't care?"

"I don't have a choice! I made some bad decisions, and now I'm suffering the consequences."

"It's a simple question, Letty", Brian said quietly. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on my own side."

His eyes narrowed. "What does he have on you, Letty?"

She said nothing, jaw tightening stubbornly.

"You're gonna have to try to trust us a little bit here", he sighed. "At the very least, you have to know we aren't going to let you be a casualty in the fallout."

"You might not have a choice", she said tiredly.

"I made you a promise", Brian said seriously. "If you let me, I want to try and keep it."

"Owen is… dangerous", Letty said carefully. "He's worse than Fenix. A lot worse."

"Fenix is dead, Letty. And Braga is in prison. The only person you're running from right now is yourself."

"_How_-"

"Dom", he answered tightly. "He let himself get arrested, and ended up with a twenty-five to life prison sentence back at Lompoc. However you think we all ended up here, you're wrong. He's not who he used to be. Losing you was the worst thing that's happened to him. And as angry as you are, he's even angrier at himself."

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "_Shit_." Letty sank onto the couch, any fight she had in her bleeding out slowly.

"You okay?"

She sucked in a breath and finally met his gaze with steely eyes. "I'll help you get Owen. He deserves to rot in hell for some of the things he's done. We'll worry about the rest of it later. But I can't stay much longer. I think he has someone following me – especially since he knows Dom is here. I had to sneak out of my apartment."

He groaned. "When you step in it, you like to do it with both feet, don't you? I'm going to call Hobbs. We need a game plan."

"_Wait_", she froze suddenly, ice running through her veins, finally remembering what all of this was going to cost her. "There's a catch."

0

Mia glanced in both directions before seeing her brother leaning against the building, hidden in the shadows. She jogged after him silently.

"Dom", she said quietly.

He sighed wearily. "What the hell is the matter with her?"

"Do you want my opinion?"

He raised an eyebrow. "If I don't, aren't you just going to give it to me anyway?"

"Do you remember the first race she lost?" Mia asked thoughtfully.

"It was the _only_ race she lost", Dom said wryly. "And that was only because her tire blew out over broken glass."

"She disappears for three days. You had to go find her."

"What does that have to do with this insane scam she's pulled off?"

"She almost lost her life trying to get you yours back. Can you really be angry with her?"

"Get to the point, Mia", he said softly.

"When she lost that race… she was humiliated. And she thought we'd be angry with her. It was only over a couple grand. _This?_ The stakes were a lot higher, Dom. Your life, hers. She may have run to save herself, but I think she stayed away because she failed. Letty's never been good at losing. The last few years had been rocky for you guys. I think she was just trying to fix that. And when she couldn't… she took off and tried not to look back. I know you two have this weird invincible thing going on, but some things are fragile. I think she found that out the hard way."

"Mia, I can't help her if she doesn't let me. What do you want me to do?"

She smiled. "I thought you were the Letty expert. Figure it out. Her not wanting your help hasn't ever stopped you before."

"You should have been a psychologist or something", he muttered grudgingly.

"Oh, I prefer giving my sisterly advice to you", she teased.

"So, what do we do now?"

She nodded. "We go talk to Letty."

0

They came back in, finding Brian talking quietly with Letty at a work table with a few maps spread out.

Mia took in the situation warily, noticing how they both stopped talking immediately, and the way Brian was as tense as a livewire. "What's going on?"

"Letty's going to help us", Brian answered evenly.

"What's the problem?" Dominic demanded.

Brian grimaced. "Remember the last time I said things were going to be complicated? This might be worse."

"I need to leave", Letty said quietly.

Brian pulled his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her. "Take it. Hide it where no one can find it, but you can get to it if you need it. All of our numbers are in it. If you need us, _call._ The last time I gave you a phone, you ditched it. I called for two days until a _hobo_ finally answered, and he yelled at me for waking him up. A freaking _hobo_, Letty", he complained.

Mia snorted.

"I threw it out the window", Letty shrugged. "The FBI had a mole. I didn't want them tracking me."

"_Stasiak_", Dom growled.

"No", Letty shook her head, mildly surprised. "He's just a dick."

"I broke his nose", Brian grinned smugly. Then he made a face. "That could have been why he screwed us though."

"You think?" Dom said wryly.

"I'm leaving now. I'll talk to you guys when it's safe. Brian, I'll try to not to give your phone to another hobo", Letty rolled her eyes.

"That's all I ask", he said dryly.

"Wait, Letty, where the hell do you think you're going?" Dom interrupted, grabbing her arm as she passed.

"I have to go", she repeated, shaking him off. "He might have someone watching me. I sneaked out, and made sure I wasn't followed here, but if someone realizes I'm gone, we're all screwed."

"Letty", Brian called after her. She turned to look back at him. Any trace of chiseling he'd done to her mask was now completely smoothed over, and her features were hard. "Be careful."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't start. That won't work with me again."

He just grinned and shook his head. "I guess we'll see."

Then she was gone.

"_Dammit_", Dom muttered. Then he looked over at Brian seriously. "I think you're going to have to tell me what happened while you two were working together in L. A."

Brian sighed roughly, but nodded. "I think we're all going to need a drink for this. It's not pretty." _He didn't think that even time and the knowledge that Letty was alive, would ever be enough to heal all of their wounds._

00

**A/N: Ugh, you guys all gave me ideas. Let me know what you think. :p***


	3. Chapter 3

_**Love and War**_

**Summary: Letty calls Dom her ex. He responds about as well as he would to any other kick in the pants. Fast 6 spoilers. One-shot.**

**Rated: M – for language**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything, just my imagination.**

Brian stared blankly at nothing until Dom appeared with a bottle and shoved a glass in front of him. He grabbed it and downed the entire contents in three large gulps, barely registering the burn. He grabbed the bottle and poured another glass.

Dominic raised an eyebrow, "That bad?"

"Depends", he shrugged.

"I don't know if I want to hear this", Mia said quietly.

"We need to know, Mia", Dom said seriously.

_There was a reason they had never talked about this. In all the conversations Brian had had with both of them, together and separately, the topic of Letty… it had been off-limits. It was too painful for all of them for different reasons._

"How long?" she asked finally.

"How long what?"

"How long were you and Letty working together behind my back?"

Brian sighed. "About three and a half months."

"How did I not know that?" she asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "We mostly met when you were out. She agreed with me when I told her you probably still wanted to rip my throat out", Brian laughed under his breath.

"You trying to tell me Letty didn't?" Dom wondered.

Brian smirked. "Oh, no she did. But she got over it pretty quick after she gave me a black eye. That went over great at the FBI when they found out, by the way. I think the term 'loose cannon' was used."

Dom grinned in amusement. "Yeah, she's always been good at making a name for herself."

"Start at the beginning, Brian", Mia said softly.

He looked between the siblings determinedly. _They would face their demons together._ "Okay."

00

_The first time Brian ran into Letty, the first thing he saw was her fist. Well, mostly he just felt it. He stumbled slightly before catching himself, rubbing his left cheekbone carefully, ignoring the stars still exploding behind his eye to focus on his attacker._

_Instead, he saw Letty, watching him with a determined glare. "Shit", he grumbled irritably. "Still can pack a wicked punch, huh?" Brian asked finally._

"_I'm not out of practice", she answered flatly._

_He glanced at their surroundings. Brian had stepped out of the bar to have an actual cigarette instead of just inhaling the second hand smoke that drifted off people's clothing. He'd been about to light it when she'd decked him. But his fist had clenched with the painful contact, and he eyed the crumpled mess in his hand, slightly annoyed._

"_That was my last one", he scowled._

"_Those damn things'll kill ya", she said unapologetically._

"_Wouldn't that just save you the trouble?"_

"_I'm considering it my good deed for the day", Letty answered dryly._

"_Why the hell did you hit me?"_

_She stared at him incredulously. "Do you really have to ask?"_

"_Okay, you know what", he growled, at the end of his patience. "I am super goddamn __**sorry**__ that you guys were stupid enough to be the ones ripping off those trucks", Brian hissed sarcastically. "But __**I**__ let Dom go, Letty. I gave him the keys to that fucking Supra and he got away. Whatever he decided to do after that- that's on him."_

_Her jaw tightened and she started backing away. "Trust me, I know", she murmured under her breath, turning to walk to her car._

"_Hey!" he called sharply._

_She stopped and looked over her shoulder._

"_Do us both a favor and don't sneak up on me again", he warned seriously._

_Letty just raised an eyebrow. "I'll remember that."_

_00_

_The second time he saw her, it was three weeks later, and she was standing on the platform to his second floor apartment, leaning against the tan colored brick next to his door, one foot propped on the wall behind her. Brian stopped at the top of the cement stairs and they eyed each other warily._

"_Trying a full-frontal assault this time?" Brian asked, approaching cautiously._

"_No", she said shortly._

"_Had a change of heart?"_

_Letty shook her head. "I think I pushed my luck enough on the first one."_

_He frowned. "I don't hit women."_

"_Stray dogs can't help but bite the person feeding them either sometimes", she said quietly._

"_Did you just compare me to a stray dog?" he asked incredulously._

_She smiled wryly, "Lookin' a bit scruffy, O'Conner."_

"_Do you want something?" he asked pointedly, unlocking his door and letting them both inside._

"_I could use a drink."_

"_Beer in the fridge", he shrugged, gesturing towards the small kitchen. "But that's not what I meant."_

_She grabbed a beer bottle from the fridge, twisting the top off and drinking most of it before looking back in his direction. "The street scene is… a mess", Letty said finally. "I think you know why. And you need my help."_

_Brian blinked at her a bit stupidly, before protesting. "Letty, no-"_

_She met his eyes steadily, steeling herself. "I'm going to need your help too."_

00

**A/N: Well, it looks like I've given into peer pressure. Lol. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys. Let me know what you think about this one.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Love and War**_

**Summary: Letty calls Dom her ex. He responds about as well as he would to any other kick in the pants. Fast 6 spoilers. One-shot.**

**Rated: M – for language**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything, just my imagination.**

"You're the expert on lying, O'Conner", Hobbs said dryly. "What do you think? Is Ortiz telling the truth?"

They had all gathered for breakfast the next morning, Dom calling everyone to get their asses in gear because they had information. Between the three of them, Dom, Brian, and Mia had shared their encounter with Letty the previous night and were now trying to make sense of the details. They hadn't slept well after their discussion, and empty Styrofoam coffee cups were scattered on the table.

Brian stared absently before shaking his head to clear the fog of the past. "She wasn't lying", he said quietly. "Letty took a huge risk even coming here."

"What do you know?" Hobbs demanded, eyeing him shrewdly.

"Owen is a possessive motherfucker", Brian said grimly, "Collects people like trophies. Letty thinks he drugged her the night she met him in a bar. She woke up at his place in the guest room – doesn't remember much of what happened. He told her he had a proposition for her. He gave her a lot of money to train his drivers. Half is in cash, but the rest is in a bank account and she can't access that part of it without him finding out." He had withheld the information Letty had told him last night, because telling Dom when he was already hot-headed wouldn't have been a wise decision.

"_Jesus Christ_", Dom growled in frustration. "Now, _what's the bad part?_"

"Letty said when she got there… there was another woman on the compound. Owen was sleeping with her. Three weeks later, he slit her throat. Supposedly, the woman tried to run away, but now… Letty thinks he planned on it since he picked her up at that bar and brought her back to his place. She's lucky he's still letting her keep her apartment. He trusts her enough to have given her the position she's in, but it's also the most dangerous."

"We were gone barely gone fifteen minutes", Mia said incredulously.

Brian nodded once. "She talked fast, knew I wouldn't ask too many questions."

"Your theory?" Hobbs asked seriously.

"He's definitely got guys following her to keep her in line. She can't run", Brian said quietly. "Letty knows he's manipulating her, and she's been more or less doing an awesome job not shooting him in the face – but she's nearing end game here. It's gonna get to the point where she snaps and goes after him… or she falls in line and gives up. And we all know which Letty would do first. If she makes that move… there will be repercussions."

"What do we do then?" Dom snapped.

"This is the problem", Brian admitted. "Dom, you know that whole thing with Braga… him and Fenix, they were both hot-headed. Braga was less, but Fenix just reacted. He didn't give a damn about anything but the end result. Letty said Owen isn't like that at all. He's cold and calculating. No account for human life is a given. She thinks that other than accumulating money, the only important thing to him might be keeping her."

"_Like hell_", Dom spat disgustedly.

"But even that might not matter if it comes down to it. And he knows we're here and _why._ He's already planning for that. And most likely, he's going to do his damndest to get her in that house with him permanently. We need to move fast, but make it look like nothing's going on."

"Great", Rome muttered. "We've got to deal with another lunatic like Verone. I'll tell you right now, there had not be any _goddamn rats_."

"Rats?" Dominic raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Don't ask", Brian grimaced.

"Bro, if anyone asks you to play chicken with a rat and a bucket… say _no_", Rome advised seriously with a shudder.

"And no", Brian said flatly, shaking his head. "This guy is worse than Verone –_way_ worse. He doesn't care if he gets his hands dirty."

"Is this going to end up like Tijuana?" Hobbs asked, "Because we don't have the equipment for an extraction team right now."

Brian shrugged warily, looking pissed off. "Not sure yet", he muttered tightly.

"Tijuana", Dom repeated quietly.

"Not the time", Brian scowled.

"What was up with the maps you guys were looking at?" Mia asked.

He nodded, "Right. She marked a few changes. Letty said the rooms were locked though and she didn't know what was in them."

"Let's work up some plans", Hobbs said finally.

0

Rome looked over at Brian and shook his head. _They were all insane. _"Do I even have to say it?" he asked flatly. They had all finally taken a much needed break for dinner, and were sitting around the cleared off work table. Rome couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.

Brian raised both eyebrows. "I suggest you don't. Because I could really do without getting my face punched in because of your misinterpretation."

"You know, I had really hoped you'd finally stopped with this shit. And just because it doesn't mean what it usually means, doesn't make me wrong."

"Keep talking and no one here will blame me when I deck you", Brian said tightly.

"I'm lost", Han said blandly.

Tej smirked. "Rome's favorite thing to say about Brian is that he always gets in trouble over a female."

"Thanks for having my back, man", Brian said sarcastically.

"Do I even _have_ to bring up Monica? That woman was so damn high-maintenance… I'm so glad she dumped your ass", Rome grinned.

"Dude, I didn't date her", Brian muttered. "Fuck that, I didn't even _sleep with her_."

"You still tryin' to tell me that she just sneaked in your window to say 'hi'?"

"Uh, no. If you remember correctly, she came to tell us that Verone's guys were supposed to kill us", Brian growled. "Which they tried to do. By the way, Dom- NOS works great for an ejector seat."

"I'll remember that", Dom said oddly.

Tej just nodded sagely. "Good times."

"Huh, I must have forgotten that. What with getting a concussion because you drove the damn car onto that motherfucking _boat_ and all!" Rome continued, ignoring the interruption.

"Quit your whining", Brian smirked. "That was the best roller coaster you've ever been on."

"_I broke my wrist!_"

"And you got… some benefits out of the deal", he reminded vaguely. Brian didn't think it would be beneficial to rub it in Hobbs's face that they stole money from the FBI.

Rome snorted then shrugged. "That was nice", he admitted finally. "That doesn't mean that I'm wrong. Every time there's a damsel in distress- fuck that, she doesn't have to be in distress, just a damsel –you go all bleeding heart and irrational."

"You done?" Brian asked shortly. "And I would _seriously_ advise against calling Letty a damsel. Although, I can't say it wouldn't be damn hilarious watching her kick your ass."

Despite the current situation, Dom was trying not to laugh. It was interesting to get some perspective from someone who didn't know how to censor themselves. "Are you _both_ done?" _Swear to god, those two were like junkyard puppies when they argued – vicious growling and a weak bite._

"Monica said to say hi, by the way", Hobbs mused.

Brian eyed him seriously. "How's she doing?"

"No more undercover work", he answered finally.

"Can't blame her. That one was bad."

"Psychologists wouldn't pass her assessment test."

"That's classified", Brian said flatly, following it with a pointed glare.

"You know you weren't supposed to go back in, right?"

Brian smiled, but it was shark-like, showing teeth. "I know. I failed my second assessment test spectacularly on _purpose._ I had been assigned to six months desk duty before I could take it again. When they made me take it again with a different person after two months, I knew they were looking for a person that would be dispensable if things got shot to shit. Believe me, when it went bad, I was surprised as _hell_ there was an extraction _at all._"

"So you _went back_ to the FBI?" Dom asked incredulously. "How stupid are you?"

"I wasn't supposed to be on the Braga case – at least not in field work. When I came back from Tijuana… the FBI had been on the Braga case for a year. I was supposed to have desk duty for at least _another_ year, but they had me sit in because half that case was about the drivers. And that's what I know. I wasn't actually doing any of the leg work until Letty showed up. That changed everything."

Dom snorted. "I'll bet it did."

00

**A/N: Well, here's another little sound bite. Thanks for reading and all the reviews so far. Drop me a line.**


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